Meet Leigh Somerville at Central Library on Thursday, July 26th!

Leigh Somerville has been a writer all her life and was a professional journalist for ten years before the desire to write a long piece of fiction hit. She was doubtful that she could sustain her interest in a project long enough to accomplish a novel, but one day at a time, she did the work, resulting in two very popular novels that fans love.

Both books, IT ALL STARTED WITH A DOG and the sequel ALL GOOD THINGS, center on the character of Rachel Springer and her discovery of love, late in life. The catalyst for this development comes in the form of a stray dog, Ralph, who teaches her about intimacy and attracts friends and romance to her as a result of the opening of her heart.Leigh was inspired by Jan Karon’s characters and the way they made her feel. As she read, she began to develop friendships with them and enjoyed spending time with them. In response, she started to work with her own character, Rachel Springer, growing her into someone Leigh liked and then watching her friends and community develop around her, each with their own stories.

When she was asked, "How much of yourself is hidden in the characters in the book?", she cheerily replied, "I am a part of each character, including Ralph, the dog."